FM26 International Management Update Now Live

International Management has arrived in the latest update for Football Manager 26, now live across platforms. 

Update 26.3.1 is live across FM26 (Steam/Epic/Microsoft), FM26 Console (Xbox/Playstation), FM26 Touch (Apple Arcade) and FM26 Mobile (Netflix), with new tools and game upgrades to prime you for glory on football’s biggest stage. The update for FM26 Touch (Nintendo Switch) will follow early next month subject to the submissions process.  

For more on what to expect, including new match preparation tools, updates to squad building and licensed FIFA World Cup 2026™ assets, dive into our dedicated feature blog.

The update also brings further functionality improvements to the User Interface, alongside updates to the wider game. A full changelist will be available on our community forums.

This update should take effect automatically but if you have any issues, please visit our dedicated FAQ.  

A second International Management update for FM26 across platforms is currently scheduled ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026™. This will cover the remaining official kits and the final 26-man 2026 FIFA World Cup™ tournament squads for participating nations*.  

*While we previously indicated that official kits would be included as part of the international management feature, licensing approvals are still ongoing. As a result, not all FIFA World Cup 2026™ team kits will be available upon launch of the feature and some may be added at a later date.

At the initial launch of this feature, 47 of the 48 qualified nations for FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be playable. We will provide further updates should that status change in future updates.

FM26 (26.3.1) Changelist (Non-Exhaustive) 

• Added International Management to new and existing save files  

• Added a FIFA World Cup 2026™ Quick Start Mode 

Technical Issues 

• Improved UI speed and performance when playing in Large Online Lobbies 

• Improved loading times for very large save files 

• The ‘Show Fixtures & Results Screens’ preference is now enabled by default 

• Fixed various crashes caused by mass Custom Database changes 

• Fixed a rare crash caused by removing certain loan clauses 

• Fixed a rare crash caused by responding 'No Comment' to journalist question about a player retiring 

• Fixed an issue that would cause User Account logs to take up excessive storage space on certain spec Macs 

User Interface (UI) 

• Intensity is no longer locked to being High or Very High when playing with an ultra-defensive style 

• Added a dropdown signifying which position the role selector is currently highlighting  

• Improved the Right-Click functionality on the Tactics pitch 

• Fixed an issue causing the Position Warning icon to still be present after fixing the IP/OOP positions of players 

• Scroll bar functionality has been reinstated on the Tactical Styles section of the Training Schedules card 

• Fixed an issue causing the horizontal scroll bar to disappear when multiple columns were added to tables 

• Fixed the functionality of sorting staff by nationalities when on the Club Staff screen 

• Fixed an issue causing the down arrows not to function when selecting the taker order during a penalty shootout 

• Fixed an issue that would sometimes show ‘-1’ as the squad number for Newgen players within the opposition instructions 

• Added a ‘Take Off’ option within the match tactics panel when a player is slightly injured but the manager is out of available substitutes 

• Fixed an issue causing both squad numbers to appear the same on the substitution caption 

• Filtering by Adaptability within the staff database now functions as intended 

• The Competition Tree within the Stages tile has now been correctly aligned 

• Fixed a visual issue where players would appear out of place on the Match Squad Bar after changing their position in the tactics pitch 

• Shirt icons now correctly display for youth players who were called up to play a first team match 

• Fixed the information displayed within the Form tooltip in the Competition > Stages card 

• Restored the Traits button on the Player Report card 

• Added a filter button to the Managerial Vacancies screen 

• Hovering over tile carousels will now display a tooltip 

• Fixed an issue causing the Youth Setup feedback to be blank 

• Fixed an issue causing duplicate message titles to appear when viewing Player Reports from consecutive Scouting Report messages 

• Adding Player Report tile to various Scouting Portal messages 

Gameplay 

• Tweaks made to AI manager appointment logic 

• Tweaks made to Supporter Expectations logic when managing a team with a point deduction 

• Fixed an issue with players declaring they want to represent the country of their birth but instead playing elsewhere 

• Fixed an issue to prevent AI hiring for B-Team roles when the user oversees all staff hiring 

• Fixed a rare issue of players refusing to sign a new deal due to ‘waiting on a promise to complete’, with no promise actually active 

• Fixed an issue preventing the user to tell an unhappy player you’ll loan them out if they’re already listed for loan 

Match, Art & Animation 

• Tweaked the Dynamic Highlight Mode setting to fix an issue causing them to last excessively long 

• Ensured captains will always be the ones to lead teams out during the opening cut scene  

• Ensured captains will always be the one to collect and lift the trophy during celebration cutscenes 

• Fixed a rare instance of the ball crossing the goal line in game but not awarding a goal when checking the goal-line technology camera 

• Fixed an issue causing substituted players to occasionally remain visible on the touchline in the 2D pitch tile 

Competitions and Rule Groups 

• Fixed an issue causing the same Mexican clubs to qualify via the league for the North American Champions Cup every season 

• Fixed an issue in Sweden to ensure the correct teams qualify for the correct UEFA competitions in the initial season 

• Fixed an issue causing Youth Exemption rules not to be enforced within the WSL  

• Reflected the real-world postponement of the women's Africa Cup of Nations in game